When considering tank mixes, whether in-crop or pre-seed, most farmers spend most of their time ensuring the products will control what they're targeting and if there are any re-cropping restrictions. Rightly so, as these are the two most important factors, however how much thought do you give to the water volume and nozzle selection when... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
It's not yet do or die for the soybean crop, but farmers' soybean crops that have suffered population die off from crusting, standing water or frost need to make a decision soon about replanting. In this episode of the Soybean School, Dan Foster, market development agronomist for PRIDE Seeds, explains thresholds for soybean plant populations... Read More
Applying fungicides to pulses early is crucial, particularly with polycyclic diseases which can spread through the canopy quickly. Downy mildew is one of these polycyclic diseases, but it's trickier than most to control due to a few factors, says Kan-Fa Chang, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. Chang says limited fungicide options makes... Read More
Regardless of the disease pressure mix on your farm, maintaining a disease-free flag and penultimate leaf is a key means of ensuring max wheat yield. Early season leaf disease can seem benign enough, but in the right conditions diseases like tan spot and septoria can move up through the canopy quickly and eventually begin compromising... Read More
You've gone out to check fields. Last week's herbicide application should be in full force, but when you get out to the field, targeted weeds aren't showing the signs they should, or the crop looks sickly or both. Was this product failure or human error? Both or neither? Spraying pesticides — be they insecticides, fungicides... Read More
Early season field scouting serves many purposes. Not only is early scouting a powerful tool in keeping ahead of weed, disease and insect pests, but early season growth of the crop tells the story of planting. Sometimes that story isn't necessarily a happy tale, as crusting, variable emergence or thin stands can all be traced... Read More
Last week Kristen Phillips, Manitoba's agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, introduced us to the Ultimate Canola Challenge set up near Portage la Prairie, Man., and offered tips on counting plant stands. The UCC, a demo of three teams all vying for top canola yields, includes three different canola varieties, seeding with two... Read More
As wheat heads first emerge from the boot, the clock starts ticking — from fully emerged you've got about six days to protect the head from the dreaded fusarium head blight. Farmers should target a fungicide application to coincide with heads on 75% of plants at around Day 2 to Day 4. Not sure what... Read More
Farmers who had included pulses in their initial crop rotations for 2013 are likely to rewarded for sticking with the crop thanks to continued big demand and lofty prices for most crop types. That's according to Chuck Penner, owner of LeftField Commodity Research, who spoke with RealAgriculture.com's Shaun Haney in this episode of the Pulse... Read More
How well did the seeding pass go? How well is the crop establishing? The only way to know is to get on out there, get down low and count canola plants. Checking on and counting newly emerged plants is a great time to evaluate depth consistency, identify any skips or over-seeding by run and a... Read More